OVERVIEW

Maintenance Management should be an integral part of a maintenance department or organization to ensure equipment readiness. These managers are responsible for providing safe and operational equipment, in the proper configurations, when and where needed, to satisfy user requirements. Maintenance Figures of Merit (FOM) are designed to assist in management decision-making and to provide a general assessment of expected performance. FOMs will provide a basic guide to help insure equipment health and provide safe and reliable products for the users.

A system, end item, or component is considered to be ready for use, operational, or "up" when it is capable of performing a specific function or group of functions. Multi-role or multi-use items are reconfigurable to perform different functions to increase versatility. The loss of one function does not necessarily render them inoperable, but degrades the overall capability. The degree to which an item is able to perform intended functions during a given period of time is known as Mission Capability. Examples include

• Continuous: Satellite, Air Traffic Control, Life Support Equipment

• Intermittent (on demand): Vehicle, Weapon system, Elevator

• Intermittent Operation (scheduled): Space experiment, CAT Scan, Reaction Controls

Mission capability is based on the Minimum Equipment Lists (MEL) that are generated from Use Study scenario(s). All of the equipment (components) on the list must be fully operational if the system or component is 100% ready to perform a specified mission. Sometimes it is required or acceptable to operate the system, or perform just part of a mission, with a reduced...